The present invention is concerned with units and modules used primarily to impart buoyancy to marine objects and secondarily to protect such objects.
Known buoyancy modules are made of low-density syntactic foam with a skin or layer of harder polymeric composite. In harsh marine environments such units and modules tend to become damaged or to fracture from time to time.
An object of the invention is to provide a method of renovation upgrading and/or reinforcement for such units and modules.
According to one aspect of the invention there is provided a method of reinforcing a marine buoyancy unit designed to fit at least partially around a marine object; said method comprising cutting slots or channels in an exterior surface of the unit, placing reinforcement material in the channels and filling the channels with a curable resin to embed the reinforcement material into the channels.
In another aspect the invention provides a method of reinforcing a marine buoyancy unit designed to fit at least partially around a marine object; said method comprising producing borings extending within the unit, placing reinforcement in the borings and filing the borings with a curable resin to embed the reinforcement into the borings.
The unit may be of part-cylindrical, e.g. semi-cylindrical, shape with an exterior skin or layer of high strength polymeric composite and an interior formed of syntactic foam. The channels penetrate the skin and extend into the syntactic foam interior whereas the borings would extend through the syntactic foam closely adjacent the skin. A number of such units would be united to form a module surrounding part of the marine object. The channels or borings extend longitudinally of the unit. A glass fibre mat may be laminated onto the exterior after the channels or borings are filled.
The invention may be understood more readily, and various other features of the invention may become apparent, from consideration of the following description.